#RankingSeries

Rankings See Big Shifts After Yasar Dogu

By Vinay Siwach

ISTANBUL, Turkey (March 1) -- The first Ranking Series event on the calendar is in the rearview, and after the event, several wrestlers have improved their rankings, which will ultimately be used for the seedings at the 2022 Continental and World Championships. 

This year, UWW will award points according to the new ranking system. 

The top eight wrestlers who acquired the most points from the four Ranking Series events and the Continental Championships will earn a seed for September's World Championships, held in Belgrade, Serbia. 

As of now, wrestlers who competed and subsequently earned points from the Tokyo Olympic Games and Oslo World Championships fill out the top-20 in the rankings heading into Istanbul.

Updated Ranking Series Point Distribution:
1st - 8000
2nd - 6400
3rd - 5200
5th - 4000
7th - 3520
8th - 3200
9th - 2800
10th - 2480
11th - 800
12th - 100
13th - 75
14th - 50
15th - 25
16th - 13

The number of points awarded at a competition will also be impacted by the number of wrestlers entered in each bracket. In weight categories with 2-5 competitors, ranking points will be reduced in half and only the top three finishers will be awarded points. In brackets that feature 6-12 participants, no additional points will be added. For weight categories with 13-16 entries, an additional 3000 points will be given. For categories with 16+ wrestlers entered, an additional 5000 will be awarded.

Additional points:
1 participant - no ranking or additional points
2-5 participants - ranking points reduced in half and only the first three will be awarded
6-12 participants - no additional points
13-16 participants - 3000 additional points to all wrestlers
16+ participants - 5000 additional points to all wresters

Greco-Roman

55kg
There were no changes in the top-10 but gold medalist Adem UZUN (TUR) debuts at No.11 with 8000 points, while silver medalist Amangali BEKBOLATOV (KAZ) enters the rankings at No. 13 with 6400 points.

60kg
No changes in the top-10.

63kg
Taleh MAMMADOV (AZE) moved up one sport after Istanbul. He went from being sixth to fifth after winning a bronze medal. He earned 5200 points, which moved him from 25000 points to 30200 points.

Gold medalist Islomjon BAKHRAMOV (UZB) entered the rankings at No.13 with 8000 points.

67kg
No changes in the top-10

72kg
Kristupas SLEIVA (LTU) was ranked third with 31000 points. He moved to the second spot ahead of Sergei KUTUZOV (RWF) with a 9400-point silver-medal finish.

Ulvu GANIZADE (AZE) moved from eighth to seventh with a 10th-place finish. He's earned 5480 points, enough to take him past Valentin PETIC (MDA).

Mikko PELTOKANGAS (FIN) moved into the top-10 from 12th with a fifth-place finish. He received 7000 points for his finish, bringing his tally to 15200 points.

77kg
World silver medalist Sanan SULEYMANOV (AZE) moved to the third spot after his silver medal in Istanbul. He had 37000 points but added 9400 points, bringing his overall total to 46400 points.

Viktor NEMES (SRB) broke into the top-10 after his fifth-place finish. He was ranked 12th previously but received 7000 points.

82kg
Rafig HUSEYNOV (AZE) and Burhan AKBUDAK (TUR) are ranked first and second, respectively. The two met in the semifinals in Istanbul, with Akbudak winning the 8000-point gold, while Huseynov picked up 5200 points for bronze. The Azerbaijan wrestler remains first with 50200 points, while Akbudak is second with 45000 points.

87kg
World champion Zurabi DATUNASHVILI (SRB) improved his points tally from 79200 points to 85600 points with a silver medal. Arkadiusz KULYNYCZ (POL) was ranked seventh [31000 points] but is now sixth after finishing seventh and getting 3520 points.

97kg
Young star and Tokyo fifth-place finisher Arvi SAVOLAINEN (FIN) made a big jump from 12th to sixth place with a silver medal. He scored 11400 points and moved from 23000 points to now 34400 points.

130kg
Riza KAYAALP (TUR) reached the fifth spot from seventh after he won a bronze medal. He had 34200 points, and the additional 8200-point bronze gave him 42200 points. 

Osman YILDIRIM (TUR) also moved two spots from ninth to seventh after the gold win and 11000 points. He now has 36000 points to his name.

Silver medalist and Kayaalp-slayer Beka KANDELAKI (AZE) entered top-10 at the No. 10 position with his silver medal. He had 17000 points but now has 26400 points.

Freestyle

57kg
World bronze medalist Horst LEHR (GER) missed out on earning a medal but still picked up 5100 points for finishing 12th in a bracket that had more than 16 participants. That helped him jump from his seventh position to fifth.

61kg
Ulukbek ZHOLDOSHBEKOV (KGZ) jumped seven places to break into the top-10 at 61kg. The former U23 world champion won a bronze medal and collected 10200 points. He was ranked 16th before the Yasar Dogu with 5400 points, but ended with 15600 points and is now ninth in the rankings.

Gold medalist Ravi KUMAR (IND), who is competing up a weight from his Tokoyo silver-medal winning weight of 57kg, added 13000 points and jumped up into the 12th spot.

65kg
World champion Zagir SHAKHIEV (RWF) is the new number-one ranked wrestler at 65kg. He won a silver medal in Istanbul and overtook the top spot from Olympic champion Takuto OTOGURO (JPN). He now has 56400 points as he added 11400 for his silver.

Otoguro [51000 points] has now slipped to third as Tulga TUMUR OCHIR (MGL) improved to second with a fifth-place finish. He entered the competition with 44500 points but now has 53500 points after the additional 9000 points.

Rohit ROHIT (IND) improved his ranking by one place. He grabbed 8200 points for his eighth-place finish and sit No. 8. Morteza GHIASI CHEKA (IRI) also moved from 16th to 13th with a 12th-placed finish and 5100 points.

70kg
World silver medalist Ernazar AKMATALIEV (KGZ) finished seventh in Istanbul but moved to the number-one ranking at 70kg after collecting 8520 points. He was ranked second with 37000 points but now leads world champion Magomedmurad GADZHIEV (POL) by 520 points.

Bronze medalist at Yasar Dogu, Zurabi IAKOBISHVILI (GEO), maintained his third position with 10200 points. He now has 41400 points.

Silver medalist James GREEN (USA) improved from seventh to fifth after leaving Istanbul with 11400 points. He now has 29600 points.

Gold medalist Amir YAZDANI (IRI) debuted at 70kg with 13000 points and is now ranked 11th.

Viktor RASSADIN (RWF) won bronze and has entered the rankings at 12th with 10200 points.

The two fifth-placed wrestlers -- Levan KELEKHSASHVILI (GEO) and Aliakbar FAZLIKHALILI (IRI) -- debut at 14th and 15th with 9000 points each. Since the Georgian had more classification points than Fazlikhalili in the tournament, he is ranked above the Iranian.

74kg
Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR) broke into the top-three with a silver-medal finish in Istanbul. He was awarded 11400 points, enough to take him from the previous eighth position to third. He now has 42400 points.

86kg
Osman GOCEN (TUR) made a big leap from the 15th position to the seventh after he won the 86kg title. He now has 26500 points, adding 13000 points to his earlier total of 13000. Akhmed AIBUEV (FRA) also jumped from 14th to ninth after he finished fifth in Istanbul and picked up 9000 points. He now has 24500 points.

92kg
Ahmad BAZRIGHALEH (IRI) and Erhan YAYLACI (TUR) were the two wrestlers who improved their ranking at 92kg. Bazrighaleh debuts in this month's rankings with 11000 points for his gold medal in Istanbul.

Yaylaci, who won silver, added 9400 points to his previous 6600 points. That took him from 14th rank to ninth as he now has 16000 points.

97kg
Gold medalist at 97kg Mohammad MOHAMMADIAN (IRI) made a marginal jump of three spots from 17th to 14th despite getting 11000 points for the win. He now has 16400 points.

125kg
Taha AKGUL (TUR) and Lkhagvagerel MUNKHTUR (MGL) won the gold and silver, respectively, giving them 13000 and 11400 points. They remained third and fourth in the rankings.

The Turkish wrestler now has 78200 points but is still behind number two Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) who has 78400 points. Munkhtar now has 65400 points but no change in the rank.

Bronze medalist Yusup BATIRMURZAEV (KAZ) made a big jump from 22nd rank to 12th as he collected 10200 points. He had 6200 points but now has 16400 points to be placed 12th. Oleg BOLTIN (KAZ) improved from seventh to sixth with 8520 points for his eighth-place finish in Istanbul.

Gennadij CUDINOVIC (GER, who was previously ranked 13th,  jumped to eighth. He started with 23200 points and was awarded 8200 points for finishing eighth in the competition.

Women's Freestyle

50kg
Emilia VUC's (ROU) gold-medal win in Turkey moved her to the fourth position. She previously sat at No. 11 with 13000 points. She now has 42600 points.

Miglena SELISHKA (BUL) [31700 points] had a chance to be fourth but she missed out on winning gold. She received 10200 points for her bronze and is now fifth with 41900 points.

It was a similar case for Otgonjargal DOLGORJAV (MGL) [31000 points] and Nadezhda SOKOLOVA (RWF) [31000 points]. They remain seventh and eighth, respectively, despite winning bronze and finishing eighth.

Sarra HAMDI (TUN) finished 10th, which gave her 7480 points. That took her from 16th to 13th. She now has 20980 points.

53kg
Olympic bronze medalist Bolortuya BAT OCHIR (MGL) managed to topple Mayu MUKAIDA (JPN) from the weight's No. 1 by winning the gold in Istanbul. She had 43200 points but an additional 13000 points brought her total to 56200, enough to move past Mukaida's 51000 points.

World silver medalist Iulia LEORDA (MDA) won a bronze and improved from sixth to fourth adding 10200 points to her previous 37000 points.

Junior world champion Emma MALMGREN (SWE) moved from 15th to 11th thanks to her ninth-place finish and 7800 points. Annika WENDLE (GER) moved from 17th to 12th as she finished seventh and got 8520 points.

55kg
Mehlika OZTURK (TUR) moved from tenth to seventh after collecting 8520 points for her eighth-place, while gold medalist Jacarra WINCHESTER (USA) is 11th with 11000 points.

57kg
Olympic bronze medalist Evelina NIKOLOVA (BUL) added 13000 points for her gold medal and consolidated her second position in the rankings. She now has 64200 points. Tokyo silver medalist Iryna KURACHKINA (BLR) was fifth with 41400 points but is now third after her 10200-point bronze.

Veronika CHUMIKOVA (RWF) moved from eighth to sixth after winning a bronze medal and 10200 points. She now has a total of 35200 points.

59kg
Alyona KOLESNIK (AZE), previously ranked tenth, moved to seventh with a bronze medal. She had 14300 points before the tournament but now has 22500 points.

Jowita WRZESIEN (POL) broke into the top-10 with a bronze medal and 8200 points. She is now ranked tenth from her earlier 12th as she now has 16400 points.

62kg
Taybe YUSEIN (BUL), who had 34200 points, jumped to the third-ranking after she collected 9000 points. She now has 43200 points, the same as fourth-ranked Kayla MIRACLE (USA), but is ranked third because the USA wrestler is yet to participate in a Ranking Series event this year.

Lais NUNES DE OLIVEIRA (BRA) was ranked eighth-ranked with 29600 points but is now fifth with 37400 points as she finished ninth and collected 7800 points.

Veranika IVANOVA (BWF) entered top-10 from No. 15 with a fifth-place finish and 9000 points. She had 15500 points but is now at 24500 points, 500 points shy of ninth place.

65kg
Forrest MOLINARI (USA) improved to the second rank at 65kg after she won the gold. Her points jumped from 31000 to 44000.

Dinara KUDAEVA SALIKHOVA (RWF) moved from tenth to seventh as she earned 5050 points for her 14th place finish. She now has 19350 points.

Kriszta INCZE (ROU) entered top-10 after a seventh-place finish. She picked up 8520 points which took her tally from 8200 points to 16720 points.

Silver medalist Mallory VELTE (USA) debuts at 13th place with 11400 points, while two bronze medalists Khadija JLASSI (TUN) and Emma BRUNTIL (USA) enter at 14th and 15th, respectively, with 10200 points.

Jlassi grabbed four extra classification points pushing her ahead of Bruntil.

68kg
Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) is now the top-ranked wrestler at 68kg. Despite winning the silver in Istanbul, the 6400 points were enough to take her tally to 83600 points, 3600 points more than Tamyra MENSAH STOCK (USA), who has 80000 points.

Olympic silver medalist Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR) won gold but remains third with 64400 points.

Adela HANZLICKOVA (CZE) moved from 10th to seventh with a bronze medal and 5200 points. She now has 28200 points.

72kg
Zhamila BAKBERGENOVA (KAZ) won the gold for 8000 points, tying her with top-ranked Masako FURUICHI (JPN). But as Furuichi finished with gold at the World Championships and Bakbergenova silver, the Kazak wrestler remains second.

World bronze medalist Anna SCHELL (GER) retained her third place with a silver medal, while Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR) fumbled her shot at jumping to No. 3 in the rankings after she finished fifth on home soil.

Kseniia BURAKOVA (RWF) moved from 13th to 11th with 4000 points for her fifth-place finish.

76kg
Second-ranked Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) closed the gap against top-ranked Adeline GRAY (USA) [86400 points] after winning a gold and 13000 points in Istanbul. She now has 67000 points

World bronze medalist Samar HAMZA (EGY) had 43300 points and needed to finish ninth or better to overtake Olympic champion Aline FOCKEN (GER) for the fourth spot. She finished ninth and took home 7800 points, moving past Focken for the fourth rank.

Francy RAEDELT (GER) won a bronze medal and jumped from 18th to 12th, thanks to the 10200 points. She now has 18400 points.

#wrestlebishkek

Vintage Susaki in Asian final; Morikawa vs Zhumanazarova for 68kg Gold

By Ken Marantz & Vinay Siwach

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (April 8) -- Yui SUSAKI (JPN) may have been away from the mat for over 20 months but she showed no signs of rust as she reached the Asian Championships final at 50kg in Bishkek on Wednesday. 

With two falls and a technical superiority win, it was vintage Susaki as she did not give up a single point in the three bouts. First up was Ziqi FENG (CHN), a fellow bronze medalist from 2024 Paris Olympics, and Susaki blocked an arm-spin attempt from Feng to score two points. As Feng landed on her back, Susaki kept her in the same position to secure the first fall.

NEELAM (IND) tried to challenge Susaki a few times in the quarterfinals but her attempted front headlock counters did not work and Susaki scored an 11-0 technical superiority win in 2:51. The semifinal was a similar story as Susaki pinned Maral TANGIRBERGENOVA (KAZ) in just two minutes.

Susaki scored a go-behind to open the scoring before a gut-wrench turn gave her a 4-0 lead. A sweep-single to takedown made it 6-0, and Susaki continued the sequence into an arm-bar to secure the fall.

"This is my first official UWW tournament in one year and eight months and I'm really happy to be back on this stage, and I'm filled with gratitude," Susaki said. "In my three matches, I was able to put out what I did in practice. Looking ahead to tomorrow's final, I think they were good matches."

The theme of the final will also be vintage as Susaki faces an opponent she last wrestled nine years ago. She will take on Son Hyang KIM (PRK) for the gold medal bout, a wrestler Susaki defeated 10-0 to win her first Asian gold aged 18 in 2017.

While she is focused on winning the gold medal on Thursday, Susaki is treating the Asian Championships as the launch pad for a newer version of herself.

"I'm here to start toward winning this year's World Championships and Asian Games, and then the Los Angeles Olympics. To face the DPR Korean and firmly win would establish my presence to the world," she said.

The new Susaki also includes a improved weight management, an issue she struggled with in the past. After the Paris Olympics, Susaki gave considerable thought to moving up to 53kg but as the 2025 Emperor's Cup approached in December, she decided to remain at 50kg, a weight in which she won Olympic gold in Tokyo.

"It's my first time to get down to 50kg overseas since the Paris Olympics," she said. "Since then, I've made some changes to my diet, and it was really smooth this time and I was able to maintain my strength. I could keep eating while dropping weight, so my condition is very good."

Susaki will have a chance to win her third Asian title on Thursday when she takes on Kim. 

A former world bronze medalist, Kim wrestled Aktenge KEUNIMJAEVA (UZB) in the other semifinal and scored an early takedown to open the scoring. She used a lace lock and twisted the Uzbekistan wrestler over three times for an 8-0 lead before the match hit the minute mark.

But Keunimjaeva, a three-time Asian bronze medalist, did not go down meekly, as she used a whizzer for a 4-point takedown at the edge to cut the lead in half before the break. Kim opened the second period with a duck under to a double-leg takedown to make it 10-4.

Two years ago in the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in Bishkek, Keunimjaeva pulled off a miracle late comeback to beat Kim, and she nearly did it again. Locking Kim's arms, Keunimjaeva muscled Kim directly to her back for a 4-pointer in the last 20 seconds. But she failed to get the fall, and Kim got a late exposure for a 12-8 win.

In other semifinals, local stars Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) and Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) both made it to gold medal bouts at 76kg and 68kg respectively.

After her close call in the quarterfinals, Medet Kyzy leaves no margin for error in storming to an 11-0 win over Hui Tsz CHANG (TPE) in pursuit of her third straight Asian gold and fourth overall. Medet Kyzy spins behind for the opening takedown, then hits two gut wrenches, then adds a 2-point exposure. When Chang tries to escape by going over the top, Medet Kyzy somersaults her over onto her back for the winning points that end the match in 1:04. An unsuccessful challenge of who-knows-what adds a final point.

Two-time Asian bronze medalist Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL) enters her first-ever Asian Championships final after a 7-2 win over Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ). She got the first point for Yerkebayeva's passivity before a double-leg takedown to lead 3-0. As the clock ticked, Yerkebayeva tried a few fake attacks but missed them and Enkh Amar scored two counter takedowns to extend her lead to 7-0. Yerkebayeva scored a late takedown to cut the lead. 

68kg semifinals - Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN), wrestling her first Asian Championships at 68kg, into the finals after 7-0 victory over former world silver medalist Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) in the semifinals. She started off with a point for Enkhsaikhan's passivity, then got a takedown when she was put on the activity clock. As the match progressed, Morikawa kept her pressure and scored two different takedowns on the edge to enter the final

Two-time Olympic medalist Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) ends the reign of defending champion Zelu LI (CHN) with a 1-1 victory, much to the delight of the home crowd despite the lack of technical points scored — Zhumanazarova came out on top by virtue of receiving the second of the two activity points. LI gets her activity point in the first period as neither wrestler can find an opening. In the second period, Zhumanazarova gets in on a single-leg takedown, but Li forces the situation to a stalemate. Li is then put on the activity clock, which puts Zhumanazarova up on criteria. In the final minute, Li twice launches an attack, but Zhumanazarova sprawls to safety to make the final for the first time since 2022.

59kg semifinals - Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN) becomes the third Japan wrestler to reach the final after a 10-0 blanking of Ulmeken ESENBAEVA (UZB) in the 59kg semifinals. She built a 6-0 lead in the first period before another takedown to start the second period to make it 8-0. A sweep-single takedown was her last move to complete a technical superiority victory.

Mengyu XIE (CHN), a former Asian champion looking to improve on her bronze medal from 2025, shrugs NEHA (IND) by and gets behind for an early takedown, to which she adds a gut-wrench. Neha comes back with counter roll for 2 from a front body lock, which the Chinese side unsuccessfully challenges, cutting Xie's lead to 4-3 at the break. A deep single-leg takedown and gut wrench by Xie makes it 8-3. When Xie shoots for a double, Neha locks her up again, this time spinning behind for a takedown, making it 8-5 with a minute to go. Neha twice tries to force Xie over with a front headlock roll, but each time, the Chinese resists and holds the Indian's back toward the mat for a pair of 2-point exposures and a 12-5 win.

55kg semifinals - World bronze medalist Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN) continues to dominate in her senior Asian debut, advancing to the final with a one-side 10-0 victory over Ariunzaya ODONCHIMEG (MGL). Uchida, who won world U17 and U20 titles in recent years but had never competed in a continental tournament, finishes off the match after a second takedown, locking Odonchimeg's arm and levering her over three times to end the bout in 1:33.

Uchida will face returning silver medalist Yuxuan LI (CHN) for the gold medal after the China wrestler completed a dominant 11-1 victory over Hansika LAMBA (IND). Li got on the scoreboard when Lamba was called passive in the first period. Li then tripped Lamba for a takedown and used two gut-wrenches to lead 7-0. Lamba tried getting a takedown but Li was quick to counter and scored a takedown before giving up a reversal for a 9-1 lead. She finished the match with a takedown 6 seconds before the clock expired.

Qualification Session Higlights

12:42: Gulmaral YERKEBAYEVA (KAZ) with an excellent fake attack to get a takedown against KAJAL (IND) to secure the win int the 76kg quarterfinals. Kajal led 3-1 when Yerkebayeva scored a stepout with 25 seconds left. Yerkebayeva managed a leg attack soon but let it go when Kajal fell forward to defend it. The Kazakhstan wrestler just jumped behind to get a takedown which stunned Kajal. Yerkebayev with a 5-3 win, as India challenged at the end and lost it.

12:37: Former world silver medalist Davaanasan ENKH AMAR (MGL) secures her spot in the 76kg semifinals with an 8-2 victory over Eunju HWANG (KOR). Leading 4-0, Enkh Amar gains two takedowns in the second period before Hwang gets on the scoreboard with a late takedown

12:35: Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ), one of the host nation's top stars, avoided what would have arguably been the biggest upset of the tournament so far when she snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat in her 76kg quarterfinal with Wenji LI (CHN). Li, the 2023 Asian U23 champion at 72kg, was the dominant wrestler, using her double-leg takedown to build up a 6-2 lead deep into the second period. But there is a reason that Medet Kyzy is a three-time Asian champion and three-time world medalist. Just when it looked like all was lost, she shot in on a double, rose up to secure a bear hug, and tripped Li directly to her back in the final minute. That four points would have given her the win, but Li wasn't going anywhere and Medet Kyzy secured the fall with :29 left.

12:25: Two-time Olympic medalist Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ), looking for her first Asian gold to go with two bronzes and a silver, gets her campaign at 68kg started with an 11-0 win over Thi Linh DANG (VIE). Zhumanazarova is limited to two takedowns in the first period by the gutsy Dang, but after a second-period takedown, she ends the match with a 4-point takedown.

12:24: After a slow first period in which Yelena SHALYGINA (KAZ) got a point for Miwa MORIKAWA (JPN) passivity in their 68kg bout, Morikawa managed to score 10 points in the second to complete a victory over the Kazakhstan wrestler. A takedown and gut-wrenches is what Morikawa used to score her points.

12:16: Yui SUSAKI (JPN) uses her low single to deadly effectiveness in an 11-0 victory over NEELAM (IND) at 50kg that she completes eight seconds inside the first-period buzzer. Neelam did her best to counter Susaki's singles, but the Japanese star kept piling up the points in a four-takedown effort.

12:10: Son Hyang KIM (PRK) continues to impress at 50kg, hitting three gut wrenches after her second takedown to defeat Munkhnar BYAMBASUREN (MGL) 10-0 in 1:10 and advance to the semifinals

12:07: Sena NAGAMOTO (JPN), winner at the Zagreb Ranking Series who is making her senior Asian debut, gets off to a roaring start at 59kg with an 10-0 victory over Sezim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ)

12:02: Former Asian champion and world bronze medalist Mengyu XIE (CHN) overwhelms two-time Asian medalist Bolortuya KHURELKHUU (MGL), scoring seven points in the first period and then ending the match in the second for an 11-0 win to advance to the 59kg semifinals

11:59: Rising star Sowaka UCHIDA (JPN), a 2025 world bronze medalist a year after winning the world U20 gold, storms to a 10-0 victory over Jeongbin OH (KOR) to secure her spot in the 55kg semifinals

11:58: Ulmeken ESENBAEVA (UZB), a multiple-time medalist at age-group Asian Championships, begins with a fall over Hyebin AHN (KOR) at 59kg.

11:56: Wenji LI (CHN) proves too powerful for Yasuha MATSUYUKI (JPN) in their qualifying round bout at 76kg, handing the Japanese squad its first loss by topping off two of her three takedowns with 2-point rolls in a 12-2 technical superiority win in 5:31

11:55: NEHA (IND), a former U20 world bronze medalist, starts with a fall over Viktoriia KHUSAINOVA (KAZ) at 59kg. She built a 6-0 lead before scoring a takedown and then used a cradle to secure the fall

11:53: An impressive start for last year's runner-up at 55kg, Yuxuan LI (CHN). After a stepout to get started against Aruuke KADYRBEK KYZY (KGZ), Li gains a takedown, then reels off four gut wrenches in succession for an 11-0 victory in just over a minute.

11:52: Five-time Asian medalist and 2023 world silver medalist Delgermaa ENKHSAIKHAN (MGL) scores two stepouts in the first period, the second with Svetlana OKNAZAROVA (UZB) on the activity clock, and adds two takedowns in the second before finishing the match with a 4-point takedown in the last seconds for an 11-0 victory at 68kg.

11:41: Yi Hui LIN (TPE) stuns Ngoc Linh DO (VIE) with a 4-point takedown with :16 left, then holds on for a 5-4 victory  at 50kg in the opening match on Mat B.

11:35: Son Hyang KIM (PRK), a world bronze medalist and Asian silver medalist way back in 2017, storms into the quarterfinals at 50kg with a 10-0 thrashing of Nipuni HEWA PEDIGE (SRI). Kim's most recent accomplishment was a silver at the 2023 Asian Games.

11:34: 53-second fall for Yui SUSAKI (JPN) in her first international match since the 2024 Paris Olympics! Susaki got Ziqi FENG (CHN) in her opening bout at 50kg, a rematch of the final from the 2024 Asian Championships final. Susaki tried two leg attacks but failed to covert them into points. Out of nowhere, Feng tried an arm-spin which was blocked by Susaki. Feng fell back first on the mat and Susaki kept the pressure to secure the fall!

11:30: After two days of exciting Greco-Roman in the morning, the Asian Championships will see Women's Wrestling on the mats. Local stars Meerim ZHUMANAZAROVA (KGZ) and Aiperi MEDET KYZY (KGZ) will be the favorites at 68kg and 76kg